Low carbon goals make all resources 'critical' A new report launched last night by a collective of politicians and business leaders calls on the government to regulate the efficient use of all resources to handle the impact of low carbon targets.

The Aldersgate Group, a collection of MPs, NGOs and businesses, argues in 'Beyond Carbon' that goals for carbon reduction will have a knock-on effect on all other resources, including water and food.

The Government needs to tackle potential shortages in all sectors through regulation across departments and avoiding focusing on short-term costs at the expense of a long-term sustainable strategy, according to the group.

Food production waste was highlighted in the report - it generates around 20 percent of green house gas emissions necessitating a cross-departmental strategy to reduce waste.

Sir John Harman, the former chair of the Environment Agency and lead author of the report, said: "There is understandably a focus on carbon in policy making at the moment.

"However, there are equally pressing resource demands across many areas of the economy which need to be addressed, such as water resources against energy use, food production against biofuels, natural habitats against agricultural intensification and so on."

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